Bessie part four

All I could think to say over and over was what are we going to do? when a man from one of the cars at the other side of the tunnel came over to us, he was French but spoke good English, how high are you, I'm thinking too high, Brians saying three point two. Have you a tape measure and we will measure it? well our big tape is in the tool draw at the side of the van which we could not open for the mountain at the side of us, so I come out of the van with the only tape I can find one a metre long.

The man climbed the ladder on the back of the van and lay on the top, "I will hold the tape at the top you measure it down"

So up goes Brian to catch this metre tape and try to measure the van (we know it is three point two as you have to put the hight on the booking form for the boat). while he is balacing on the ladder holding the tape bottom with one hand and trying not to fall of the ladder and get the right mark to put the tape to measure the next metre, what happens next? the button decided to come off his shorts and down they slip to his ankles, having ho spare hand to stop them.

All I could think was how could you do this to me , when I could hear clapping and cheering coming from the car behind us, there was a woman in the car really enjoying this. The man then asked if anyone had a propper tape measure and all the cars had one so we ended up with about five. After getting all the tape measures the man say oh come on we will go for it, we will get you through, more panic from me how on earth are they going to do that.

The man went in front of the van other side of the tunnel and one was behind the van or so I thought and Brian got into the driving seat, I could only think well if it knocks anything off the van it will only be the top box that hits the top of the tunnel let it go into the gorge I don't care just don't let the van be damaged. It was like something off the golden shot, left a bit, right a bit, slow, over to the left while inching our way through, it will only be the box won't it that will be damaged? I kept saying to Brian, well afer what seemed ages we came out the other side to the sound of everyone cheering, they reckoned the hight three metres being at the outside of the tunnel and going slightly higher in the middle we were able to get the box to the middle bit by keeping to the left we only had six inches on each side of us in the tunnel we had to fold the mirrors into the van to do it, so we were counting on the men telling us if we were ok as we could not see down the van, when we were through I heard a sound on top of the van and went to see what it was, the man who I thought was walking behind the van had been lying on top of the van beside the box and was telling the man in front where to go.

I nearly had a fit when I found this out, here's me saying we can only lose the box and we could of lost someones head, all sorts of thoughts were going through my mind. There are some kind people in this world and we me met two of them that day, when they left us the one who had come the way we were going said "you will be alright now the road gets narrower but the tunnels are higher" in all it took about half an hour to get to the other side of the tunnel and the sat nav lived to take us wrong another day.

When we could stop and go on top to look at the van the straps round the box were all frayed where they had dragged along the top of the tunnel, that is how much room we had to get through.

At last we were on our way downwards again although the roads were very narrow in parts.

Some of the mountain villages were like medi evil buildings left over from annother age.

We stayed in this village for the night, it was bastile day so there were many celabrations, fireworks, bands and dancing in the streets.

The next day it was off to Monaco and down to sea level again. Monaco is a beautiful place but boy is it expensive. this is the first view you get as you approch Monaco from coming down the mountains.

This is the famous Monte Carlo cassino, we had a drink at the Cafe de Paris belonging to the cassino one small beer and one orange juice cost fifteen euros (about twelve pounds fifty).the photos that follow are the palace and marina and different parts of Monaco.

This is the changing of the guards, at the Monaco Palace a bit different to Buckingham Palace.

After Monaco we went to Nice for four days, on one of the days we took the train into Cannes, in Cannes we saw where they hold the film festival and the famous red carpet that the stars walk up when they are possing for the cameras.

When we were in the camp site at Nice in the next caravan to us was a French couple and their dog, we thought Tina and Dave had come to visit us when we seen their dog.

One of these two bedroom appartments was for sale at the going price of seven point five million euros.Well at last we were on our way home, as we had spent more time than we ment to in the South of France we decided to get home as soon as posible, we set off early the next morning and managed to get into Spain where we stopped for the night. Brian went up to the reception while I made a drink and he came back with our neighbours here in Spain Ursula and Steve, I was very suprised as we had drove as far as we could before picking one of the many camps to stay in, they had done the same on their way back. from the UK.

The next day we were home after enjoying a wonderful trip seeing new places and meeting my dear friend Tina's sister Leeta.

We will be going places here in Spain in the van but are looking forward to planning next years big trip.

Jeanette Spain

Bessie Part Three

Well we are leaving cold wet England for home, onto Sea France then start our journey through France home calling at Nice and Monaco.

The sea was very rough as the rain was lashing down and the wind blowing quite strong, boats are not my thing at the best of times but this one was not good, you could not walk in a straight line on it, thank goodness it was only one hour over. We satyed in Calais for the night still raining, and set of in the morning heading towards the alps, this is painted on the wall of where you park up for the night.

WE traveled a good way the first day and stayed over night at Montmiral, nothing special just mile after mile of farm land with sun flowers and grain fields, it all gets to look the same after a full day of it.

Traveling the next day we start to see the lower alps in the distance, at last the land scape was changing. we stayed over night in the lower Alps, then went on the next day and finally the wow factor was there, what a sight as we climbed, we found a camp in the mid Alps and decided to stay for two days it was so beautiful. there was snow on the top of the mountains and very warm weather where we were. the place was Vissily, the castle there is where the French Revelution started, so as well as being beautiful it had a lot of history to enjoy.

Our camp site was on the banks of the lakes. We woke the next morning to the sound of bells, not church bells these were too quiet for that, just like a ting a ling type of bell, we could not think where they were coming from, then we discovered what they were all the cows in the field across the road had alpine bells round there necks so every time they move we had the sound of the bells

This area was so beautiful the lakes went on and on and the mountains in the back ground were fantastic, but if we wanted to have a stay in Monaco we had to start moving on.

Put Monaco in the sat nav says Brian, well that was the start of the scariest experience yet the most wonderful experience I have ever had. We started off in the morning and by the time we turned the first bent we were climing and I mean climbingup the mountains, but boy was the sights so breath taking, wow look at that I would say to Brian in sheer wonderment the just as quickly say no keep your eyes on the road. As we climbed the road got narrower and more with more and more twists and turnsin it the scenery got more spectacular, there I am camera in hand trying not to sway about as we rounded another bend.

By now we are high in the alps 20 kilometres from the Italian boarder and there is snow on the side of the road as well as the mountains. Every so many kilometres there was a road sign telling you how high you were above sea level.This photo is a bit blurred as I had to zoom it as far as my camera would to get it.

The 2295 is how high above sea level we were, and the road was by now not much wider than the van.

We could not understand why the sat nav had brought us this way, beautiful as it was it was getting very scary, we had traveled about 25 Ks. and not seen an other car, the gorges were such a deep drop down and the mountains were very high at the side of us, this is a photo of the road we had just come along taken out the back window of the van, so as it is a right hand drive I had the gorge was on my side.

Then as we rounded another bend I went into panic mode, ahead of us was a tunnel cut out of the mountain stating that the tunnel was three metres high, we are three point two metres high, point two higher than the tunnel.

There was a bit of the road to pull into so oncoming traffic could come through the tunnel, but not enough with us parked in it to allow anything to pass us. As I said we had traveled 25 Ks. without seeing anything then in the middle of my panic three cars come up behind us and two coming through the tunnel towards us and us causing a traffic jam. We can't turn not enough room and the gorge was bottomless I am sure I could not see the bottom anyway.

While Brian is out of the van trying to puzzle out what to do I am sat in my seat getting ready to throw the sat nav into the gorge, when a knock came to the window on my side, the stupid frenchman must have thought I was the driver not realizing that we were a right hand drive.

As we have spanish number plates on he tried to talk to me in Spanish, if I had of been Spanish I don't think I would of understood what he was saying so I imformed him English. "Ah" he says " you will have to turn round and go back you cannot get through there" well I do not swear but have you ever wished you did, I gave him a I'm disgusted look and said and just how or where would you like me to turn this motor home round.

Jeanette Spain

Bessie Part two

Well we left Whitby making for what I think of as home excitment growng in me wondering what changes I would find after all the years way (left this area in 1964). First place we came to was Redcar shall we stop says Brian, inpatient me says no there is nothing of intrest there keep going.

I remembered there was a camp site at a place called Crimdon Dene a few miles from where I lived and a lot of my childhood was spent there, I was hoping it would still be open.

As we came back on to the coast road I let out a yell we are at Seaton Crew (you may recognise the name from the story in the news of the man who went missing then came back from the dead). Not far now through Hartlepool then Crimdon.

As we got nearer I could see caravans Fingers crossed we drove in and asked the question any room here YES there was, I did control the urge to hug her.

After geting setting up the motorhome I full of pride for my home teritory set off to show Brian the sites and places of my childhood, I have seen all Brian's childhood haunts in Lincolnshire now it was my turn.

I walked him down the cliff to the beach then we walked along to Blackhall rocks, As a child I never got as far as going into the tunnels in the rocks as I was a coward and as soon as it got dark I legged it out of them, my cousin William used to tell me the smuglers still haunted the tunnels looking for their loot, that was enough for me.

Walking a long here brought back so many memories when I used to climb over these rocks with my friends, as we walked home after spending our bus fares, it was easier to walk along the shore than on the road.

The next day we set off for Durham City, we visited Durham Cathederal, which I had visited so many times with school.

The cathederal is the resting place of St. Bede and St Cuthbert who brought Christianity to the north east of England.

St, bede and st. Cuthbert both have conections with Holy Island in Northumberland. (more on this later).

The cathederal has a sanctuary knocker on the main door, I think brian was hoping for sanctuary from all the site seeing.

Next of to Marsdon and South Shields my dads birth place.

As a child I loved Marsdon Groto, I spent many happy days with my parents and sister here, no shops only a bar restaurant wich I never got into as I was not old enough, so at last I had a meal in there and got to see inside it for the first time. There is only a small stoney bay which is called the Groto, and a large rock you can only get to when the tide is out.

The bar is built into the rocks and I was very impressed with it, well I had waited a long time to see inside.

Into Northumberland next wow was I enjoying visiting all my old places, I was a bit worried that Brian might be a bit bored after all these were my memories, but no he said he thought I was very lucky as a child to grow in in such a place, he has since said if he ever bought a place in the Uk this is where it would be.

We visited the Anwick Garden that belong to the duchess of Northumberland, theywould take some beating for colour, water features, well judge for your selves I can't say much that would do them justice.

We stopped of at Holy Island(Lindisfarne) you can only get on and off the tide is out.

In 676, Cuthbert lived and prayed on island of Lindisfarne the st. Cuthbert cross is still on the island but the monestry was ramsacked by Henry 8 when he was distroying many of the cathedrals.

We ended our tour of the Noth East coast at Berwick on Tweed, then went along Hadrian's wall to the lake district on the way crossing the border into Scotland before ending up at Blackpool to visit my sister.

We left Black pool to call on our dear friend Tina's sister Leeta in Sheffield. I was rather nervous but had no need to worry, We were given a warm welcome and a much need cup of tea. Arthur was going to the hospital the next day his birthday. brian enjoyed talking to Arthur, I was sorry I could not of met Sandy and Babs as well but if you are like Tina and Leeta well I know we would of got on well together. Thank you Leeta for making a nervous couple feel so welcome, hope we can meet up again sometime.

The next week visits to Family and the Lincoln Music festival where Hermans Hermits were playing. It was so cold and wet most of the time.

Off back home again now through France.

Jeanette Spain

"2008 Trip in Bessie

We set off in Bessie (our motorhome) on May 29th. for our trip to the UK and France, it was warm (29degs.) as we set of heading north. The trip to the ferry was drive as far as we could before having to stop, for some reason Brian likes to get there as quick as he can , but take three weeks to drive home again.

The ferry was booked for the 2nd of June leaving four days to get to calais. Nothing very interesting on the way to Calais, excepted for the day before we reach the ferry, we stayed on the Somme where a lot of the first world war was fought.

Just short walk from the camp there was a British cemetry, it was kept beautiful with flowers of all kinds and colours, it's so nice to know the villagers keep the cemetry in such good condition.

Out of the many graves there most of them were "here lies a soldier" no name to say who they were, so sad and moving.

We arrived ib the Uk and started our trip at York as we wanted to drive up the north east coast.We spent three days in york it was very interesting and we enjoyed all the site. I have been many times to York but it was Brian'sfirst time so it was fun showing him all the sites. We woke one morning to a strange sound and saw a hot air baloon coming down on the other side of the hedge.

From there we went to Scarbourgh, again Brian has not done any of this coast so anouther first. We went via Filey andof course it was raining, so this was a quick walk round and back to Bessie, we arrived in Scarbough in the rain but the next morning it was warm and sunny so off we go for the day. This day was our first wedding anneversary so Brian took me for a meal in the Grand hotel.This was special for me as this is where my Dad was head chef (in the days when it was the grandest hotel in the area) when I was a child and it was the first time I had been in that I can remember.

From here we payed a visit to Robin hood Bay a small coastal village, you had to be good at walking up hills here no wonder there was cafes half way up the hills you needed them.

Onwards we go, now stopping at Whitby with it's abby and everthing based on Dracula.

Nice fishing port but so pleased it was only a short visit.

Now we come to the highlight of my Uk visit Brian enjoyed it as well, the coast of Durham where all my life was spent till I got married.
Jeanette Spain